Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has called for a constitutional change to regulate the conduct and political activities of retired presidents.

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Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Sunday, September 20, Atwoli said that Kenya needed to establish clear constitutional provisions governing former heads of state, particularly as presidents leave office at relatively young ages.

The COTU boss cited fourth president Uhuru Kenyatta and President William Ruto as examples of leaders who would leave the presidency while still relatively young.

According to Atwoli, the issue should not be viewed as targeting a particular former president, arguing that Kenya needed a permanent constitutional framework to address the role of retired presidents.

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“We must revisit Kenya's Constitution. This is what I'm appealing to President William Ruto's government, to have wider consultations to amend our Constitution so that we have a chapter that tames retired presidents,” Atwoli stated.

His statements come years after he called for constitutional amendments to designate specific roles for retired presidents.

Atwoli argues that when a president retires when he is relatively young, he would remain in active politics and might cause what he termed as problems to the government that will be in place at that time.

In 2023,  the trade unionist advocated for creating a role for former president Uhuru Kenyatta , which he insisted should be a constitutional mandate.

"We should get to a point and squeeze this Constitution and say once he has served for 10 years, he should become a peacemaker. That should be advocated for in the Constitution," Atwoli said.

Atwoli's remarks come amid criticism from government officials who have accused Uhuru of sponsoring and facilitating opposition activities aimed at frustrating President Ruto's administration.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke